Showrunner Shuffle for NBC’s Katherine Heigl Drama ‘State of Affairs’

Ed Bernero is out and Dario Scardapane is in negotiations to take the reins as as showrunner of NBC’s Katherine Heigl drama “State of Affairs.”

Bernero exited the series after little more than a month on the job after clashing on creative matters with creator/exec producer Joe Carnahan. Scardapane is close to setting a deal to move into the slot. “State of Affairs” is slated to bow Nov. 17.

Bernero is a drama vet who was brought on to help steer the Washington, D.C.-set thriller with Carnahan, who does not have deep showrunning experience. Those arranged marriages are notoriously tricky to pull off, and in this case it’s clear Bernero and Carnahan didn’t see eye to eye on executing the Universal TV show that features Heigl as a top national security official who is also investigating the circumstances regarding the death of her fiancé. Alfre Woodard co-stars.

Sources close to the situation were quick to emphasize that Bernero’s departure had nothing to do with Heigl — it was all about conflicting creative visions between Bernero and Carnahan.

Scardapane was the creator/showrunner of the NBC actioner “Trauma,” which aired in the 2009-10 season. More recently he’s worked on FX’s “The Bridge” and Syfy’s “Dominion.”

Heigl has a reputation for being tough to work with — so much so that she was forced to address the matter head-on during the Television Critics Assn. press tour session last month on the show. “State of Affairs” marks Heigl’s return to series TV after several years of focusing on features following her stormy departure from ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

I’m just surprised that the show is still on NBC’s schedule. Don’t be surprised if it isn’t suddenly moved to mid-season replacement status due to re-tooling that will quickly be announced “has nothing to do with Heigl”.